> Colin Hampden White: Greatest Scottish Single Malt Whisky Makers: 25 January – 5 February 2012 AT Mott Street, New York
Scotland is a land steeped in legend and lore. Within the intertwined stories of olden times, whisky holds a key place; from the first distilling of what was then known as Aqua Vite at Lagavulin in the early seventeen hundreds, to the modern production of whisky at Roseisle.
Some distilleries open their doors and allow the public to enjoy guided visits to explain the whisky-making process and provide the history of the distillery. However photographs are never allowed and whilst the skilled tour guides are very professional, they are not the creative geniuses who are behind the production of this most mysterious of liquids.
Colin Hampden-White has gained exclusive access not only to some of the greatest distilleries in Scotland but also their Chieftains – the master distillers. At each one the manager, the figurehead of the distillery, uses his finely-honed skills to create a unique single malt whisky of breath-taking quality.
From the well-trodden paths of Dalwhinnie to the great, but decidedly un-accessible Mortlach, Colin has chosen to photograph each Distiller in their own personal working space. And to give a feel of the external environment in which these distillers operate, he has produced a series of landscapes, seascapes and environmental shots to complement the portraits. This series presents the look, the feel, the essence of where and by whom this historic liquid is made.
About the Artist
Colin Hampden-White originally comes from Edinburgh. Educated in England and returning to Scotland to study as a quantity surveyor, Hampden-White's route into photography was unconventional.
In his early years, Colin was influenced by Dianne Arbus and
later by Peter Gasser and Walker Evans, especially the pictures taken by the
latter in 1930s mid-west America. Colin is intrigued by the question: nature or
nurture? He is adopted and, in his late teens, learned that his birth parents
were an artist and a concert pianist. This discovery led to a desire to explore
the relationship that people have with the place they inhabit: at home, at
work, or in the local area, and how environment reveals the space in which
identity is created.
Colin’s style is strongly narrative, with minimal interaction between subject
and viewer. His pictures are intensely personal, playing on the tension between
convention and innovation. His work is imaginative, intuitive and has an
honesty that is rarely found elsewhere.
Having worked for the Scotsman, the Times and the FT, and progressed from photojournalism, he was discovered by Rebecca Hossack who gave him his first solo show in London in February 2009. His work is now exhibited all over the UK and internationally including the National Portrait Gallery; January/February 2012 sees his first solo show in New York.